Validation and utility of a body condition scoring system for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Obesity is a problem in captive chimpanzee colonies that can lead to increased risk for disease; therefore, implementation of effective weight management strategies is imperative. To properly implement a weight management program, captive managers should be able to noninvasively identify and assess overweight or obese individuals. Traditional means of categorizing obese individuals involve sedating the animals to obtain body weights or skin fold measurements. The current study aimed to validate a noninvasive, subjective body condition score (BCS) system for captive chimpanzees. The system utilizes a 10-point scale, with one rated as "emaciated," five as "normal," and 10 as "extremely obese." Between 2013 and 2014, 158 chimpanzees were weighed and scored using this system (a) while sedated and (b) while awake in their social group within 1-3 days of sedation ("In-group" ratings). We found high inter-rater reliability between In-group raters, as well as between sedated and In-group scores. BCSs, which require observation only, were significantly positively correlated with weight (an objective measure of obesity often requiring anesthetization), supporting the scale's validity. The BCS system identified 36 individuals as "overweight," while the use of weights alone identified only 26 individuals as "overweight." Furthermore, the BCS system was able to classify individuals of the same sex and weight as having different BCSs, ranging from normal to overweight. Lastly, using focal animal behavioral observations from 2016 to 2018 (N = 120), we found that In-group BCS predicted individual levels of inactive behavior more than 2 years later, demonstrating the predictive validity of the scale. These results illustrate the utility of the BCS system as a noninvasive, reliable, and valid technique that may be more sensitive than traditional methods in identifying and quantifying obesity in chimpanzees. This system can be a useful tool for captive managers to monitor and manage the weight of chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates.

Socially transmitted diffusion of a novel behavior from subordinate chimpanzees.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) demonstrate much cultural diversity in the wild, yet a majority of novel behaviors do not become group-wide traditions. Since many such novel behaviors are introduced by low-ranking individuals, a bias toward copying dominant individuals ("rank-bias") has been proposed as an explanation for their limited diffusion. Previous experimental work showed that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) preferentially copy dominant over low-rank models. We investigated whether low ranking individuals may nevertheless successfully seed a beneficial behavior as a tradition if there are no "competing" models. In each of four captive groups, either a single high-rank (HR, n = 2) or a low-rank (LR, n = 2) chimpanzee model was trained on one method of opening a two-action puzzle-box, before demonstrating the trained method in a group context. This was followed by 8 hr of group-wide, open-access to the puzzle-box. Successful manipulations and observers of each manipulation were recorded. Barnard's exact tests showed that individuals in the LR groups used the seeded method as their first-choice option at significantly above chance levels, whereas those in the HR groups did not. Furthermore, individuals in the LR condition used the seeded method on their first attempt significantly more often than those in the HR condition. A network-based diffusion analysis (NBDA) revealed that the best supported statistical models were those in which social transmission occurred only in groups with subordinate models. Finally, we report an innovation by a subordinate individual that built cumulatively on existing methods of opening the puzzle-box and was subsequently copied by a dominant observer. These findings illustrate that chimpanzees are motivated to copy rewarding novel behaviors that are demonstrated by subordinate individuals and that, in some cases, social transmission may be constrained by high-rank demonstrators.

Distal Communication by Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Evidence for Common Ground?

van der Goot et al. (2014) proposed that distal, deictic communication indexed the appreciation of the psychological state of a common ground between a signaler and a receiver. In their study, great apes did not signal distally, which they construed as evidence for the human uniqueness of a sense of common ground. This study exposed 166 chimpanzees to food and an experimenter, at an angular displacement, to ask, "Do chimpanzees display distal communication?" Apes were categorized as (a) proximal or (b) distal signalers on each of four trials. The number of chimpanzees who communicated proximally did not statistically differ from the number who signaled distally. Therefore, contrary to the claim by van der Goot et al., apes do communicate distally.

Multimodal communication in chimpanzees.

A fundamental characteristic of human language is multimodality. In other words, humans use multiple signaling channels concurrently when communicating with one another. For example, people frequently produce manual gestures while speaking, and the words a person perceives are impacted by visual information. For this study, we hypothesized that similar to the way that humans regularly couple their spoken utterances with gestures and facial expressions, chimpanzees regularly produce vocalizations in conjunction with other communicative signals. To test this hypothesis, data were collected from 101 captive chimpanzees living in mixed-sex social groupings of seven to twelve individuals. A total of 2,869 vocal events were collected. The data indicate that approximately 50% of the vocal events were produced in conjunction with another communicative modality. In addition, approximately 68% were directed to a specific individual, and these directed vocalizations were more likely to include a signal from another communicative modality than were vocalizations that were not directed to a specific individual. These results suggest that, like humans, chimpanzees often pair their vocalizations with signals from other communicative modalities. In addition, chimpanzees appear to use their communicative signals strategically to meet specific socio-communicative ends, providing support for the growing literature that indicates that at least some chimpanzee vocal signaling is intentional.

Age-related effects in the neocortical organization of chimpanzees: gray and white matter volume, cortical thickness, and gyrification.

Among primates, humans exhibit the most profound degree of age-related brain volumetric decline in particular regions, such as the hippocampus and the frontal lobe. Recent studies have shown that our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, experience little to no volumetric decline in gray and white matter over the adult lifespan. However, these previous studies were limited with a small sample of chimpanzees of the most advanced ages. In the present study, we sought to further test for potential age-related decline in cortical organization in chimpanzees by expanding the sample size of aged chimpanzees. We used the BrainVisa software to measure total brain volume, gray and white matter volumes, gray matter thickness, and gyrification index in a cross-sectional sample of 219 captive chimpanzees (8-53 years old), with 38 subjects being 40 or more years of age. Mean depth and cortical fold opening of 11 major sulci of the chimpanzee brains were also measured. We found that chimpanzees showed increased gyrification with age and a cubic relationship between age and white matter volume. For the association between age and sulcus depth and width, the results were mostly non-significant with the exception of one negative correlation between age and the fronto-orbital sulcus. In short, results showed that chimpanzees exhibit few age-related changes in global cortical organization, sulcus folding and sulcus width. These findings support previous studies and the theory that the age-related changes in the human brain is due to an extended lifespan.

Different early rearing experiences have long-term effects on cortical organization in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Consequences of rearing history in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have been explored in relation to behavioral abnormalities and cognition; however, little is known about the effects of rearing conditions on anatomical brain development. Human studies have revealed that experiences of maltreatment and neglect during infancy and childhood can have detrimental effects on brain development and cognition. In this study, we evaluated the effects of early rearing experience on brain morphology in 92 captive chimpanzees (ages 11-43) who were either reared by their mothers (n = 46) or in a nursery (n = 46) with age-group peers. Magnetic resonance brain images were analyzed with a processing program (BrainVISA) that extracts cortical sulci. We obtained various measurements from 11 sulci located throughout the brain, as well as whole brain gyrification and white and grey matter volumes. We found that mother-reared chimpanzees have greater global white-to-grey matter volume, more cortical folding and thinner grey matter within the cortical folds than nursery-reared animals. The findings reported here are the first to demonstrate that differences in early rearing conditions have significant consequences on brain morphology in chimpanzees and suggests potential differences in the development of white matter expansion and myelination.

Factors affecting initial training success of blood glucose testing in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Type 2 diabetes can be a problem for captive chimpanzees. Accurate blood glucose (BG) readings are necessary to monitor and treat this disease. Thus, obtaining voluntary samples from primates through positive reinforcement training (PRT) is critical. The current study assessed the voluntary participation of 123 chimpanzees in BG sampling and investigated factors that may contribute to individual success. All subjects participate in regular PRT sessions as part of a comprehensive behavioral management program. Basic steps involved in obtaining BG values include: voluntarily presenting a finger/toe; allowing digit disinfection; holding for the lancet device; and allowing blood collection onto a glucometer test strip for analysis. We recorded the level of participation (none, partial, or complete) when each chimpanzee was first asked to perform the testing procedure. Nearly 30% of subjects allowed the entire procedure in one session, without any prior specific training for the target behavior. Factors that affected this initial successful BG testing included sex, personality (chimpanzees rated higher on the factor "openness" were more likely to participate with BG testing), and past training performance for "present-for-injection" (chimpanzees that presented for their most recent anesthetic injection were more likely to participate). Neither age, rearing history, time since most recent anesthetic event nor social group size significantly affected initial training success. These results have important implications for captive management and training program success, underlining individual differences in training aptitude and the need for developing individual management plans in order to provide optimal care and treatment for diabetic chimpanzees in captivity.

Differences in the mutual eye gaze of bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Eye gaze is widespread in nonhuman primate taxa and important for social cognition and communicative signaling. Bonobos and chimpanzees, two closely related primate species, differ in social organization, behavior, and cognition. Chimpanzees' eye gaze and gaze following has been studied extensively, whereas less is known about bonobos' eye gaze. To examine species differences using a more ecologically relevant measure than videos or pictures, the current study compared bonobo and chimpanzee mutual eye gaze with a human observer. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant species differences in frequency and total duration, but not bout length, of mutual eye gaze (p < .001). Specifically, bonobos engage in mutual eye gaze more frequently and for longer total duration than chimpanzees. These results are likely related to species differences in social behavior and temperament and are consistent with eye-tracking studies in which bonobos looked at the eye region of conspecifics (in pictures and videos) longer than chimpanzees. Future research should examine the relationship between mutual eye gaze and gaze following, as well as examine its genetic and neurological correlates. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of early social rearing, neurological, and genetic factors on individual differences in mutual eye gaze among captive chimpanzees.

Mutual eye gaze plays an important role in primate social development and communication. In the current study, we examined the underlying experiential, genetic, and neuroanatomical basis of mutual eye gaze variation in adult captive chimpanzees. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant rearing effect on bout length, with human-reared chimpanzees engaging in longer bouts of mutual gaze compared to mother-reared and wild-born individuals. Next, we utilized source-based morphometry (SBM) to examine gray matter covariation in magnetic resonance imaging scans and determine the relationship between the resulting gray matter covariation components and mutual eye gaze. One SBM component was negatively correlated with gaze duration (nucleus accumbens and anterior insular cortex), while two components were positively correlated with bout length (posterior cingulate cortex, inferior occipital cortex, middle temporal cortex, hippocampus, and the precentral sulcus). Finally, heritability analyses revealed mutual eye gaze to be modestly heritable and significant genetic correlations between bout length and two gray matter covariation components. This study reveals that non-genetic factors, and to a lesser extent, genetic factors appear to influence mutual eye gaze in adult chimpanzees, and is the first to report neuroanatomical correlates of mutual eye gaze variation in chimpanzees.

Survey of Behavioral Indices of Welfare in Research Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States.

Chimpanzees demand specialized housing and care and the highest degree of attention to animal welfare. The current project used a survey method to collate information on chimpanzee housing and behavioral indices of welfare across all 6 of the chimpanzee research facilities in the United States. Data were compiled on 701 chimpanzees ranging from 2 to 62 y old (mean age, 26.0 y). All chimpanzees except for one were socially housed; the median group size was 7 animals, and group sizes ranged from 1 to 14. All of the subjects had access to outdoor spaces each day. Daily access to a natural substrate in the chimpanzee's enclosure was available for 63.8% of the subjects. Overall, 94.1% of the chimpanzees used tools to acquire food, 48.1% built nests, 75.8% copulated, and 83.3% initiated grooming bouts. The following atypical behaviors were reported most often: rocking (13.0%), coprophagy (10.0%), and stereotyped behaviors other than rocking (9.4%). There was widespread evi- dence of positive animal training techniques, with nearly all (97.7%) subjects reported to generally voluntarily cooperate with shifting in their enclosure, and 72.2% were reported to present for an injection of anesthetic. We include some comparison between these findings and data describing zoo-housed chimpanzees. In addition, we discuss survey findings in reference to recommendations made by the NIH Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-supported Research. The current survey assessed a larger sample of chimpanzees living under human care than has been published previously. This broad analysis can help to guide future improvements in behavioral management to address behavioral problems or deficits.

Poor receptive joint attention skills are associated with atypical gray matter asymmetry in the posterior superior temporal gyrus of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Clinical and experimental data have implicated the posterior superior temporal gyrus as an important cortical region in the processing of socially relevant stimuli such as gaze following, eye direction, and head orientation. Gaze following and responding to different socio-communicative signals is an important and highly adaptive skill in primates, including humans. Here, we examined whether individual differences in responding to socio-communicative cues was associated with variation in either gray matter (GM) volume and asymmetry in a sample of chimpanzees. Magnetic resonance image scans and behavioral data on receptive joint attention (RJA) was obtained from a sample of 191 chimpanzees. We found that chimpanzees that performed poorly on the RJA task had less GM in the right compared to left hemisphere in the posterior but not anterior superior temporal gyrus. We further found that middle-aged and elderly chimpanzee performed more poorly on the RJA task and had significantly less GM than young-adult and sub-adult chimpanzees. The results are consistent with previous studies implicating the posterior temporal gyrus in the processing of socially relevant information.

Genetic influences on receptive joint attention in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Despite their genetic similarity to humans, our understanding of the role of genes on cognitive traits in chimpanzees remains virtually unexplored. Here, we examined the relationship between genetic variation in the arginine vasopressin V1a receptor gene (AVPR1A) and social cognition in chimpanzees. Studies have shown that chimpanzees are polymorphic for a deletion in a sequence in the 5' flanking region of the AVPR1A, DupB, which contains the variable RS3 repetitive element, which has been associated with variation in social behavior in humans. Results revealed that performance on the social cognition task was significantly heritable. Furthermore, males with one DupB(+) allele performed significantly better and were more responsive to socio-communicative cues than males homozygous for the DupB- deletion. Performance on a non-social cognition task was not associated with the AVPR1A genotype. The collective findings show that AVPR1A polymorphisms are associated with individual differences in performance on a receptive joint attention task in chimpanzees.